This invention relates to waterer systems for poultry or other small animals wherein a plurality of waterers, such as nipple waterers or cup waterers, are mounted in longitudinally spaced relation along a length of water pipe. More particularly, this invention relates to such systems wherein the waterers are configured to be assembled to or disassembled from the associated water pipe without the use of tools.
Thompson et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,343 relates to a particular configuration of a waterer, including a valve with a spring loaded valve closure member. FIGS. 1 through 5 of this patent illustrate an animal waterer as a nipple waterer, wherein an actuator stem or nipple extends downward from the waterer to be operated by an animal allowing water to be released and trickle down the stem to the mouth of the animal. FIG. 9 of this patent illustrates a waterer as a cup waterer, wherein the actuator stem or nipple extends upward into a cup so that water enters the cup selectively when the nipple is operated by an animal.
In these configurations, the waterer is secured to the pipe by engagement of a threaded housing in a threaded hole in the pipe. Assembly of the waterers to or disassembly of the waterers from the pipe, then, requires a wrenching tool. Additionally the waterer and the pipe must be prethreaded, necessitating associated manufacturing expense.
In the prior art, there are many other known means by which nipple waterers and/or cup waterers are secured to pipe, such as PVC pipe. These means include various types of clamps, direct cementing to the pipe, attachment to saddles or other mounts which are cemented to the pipe, external spring clips, adaptors threaded to the pipe, etc. Most of these means require the fabrication of additional components; and the mounting of the waterers to the pipe or removing from the pipe requires considerable time and effort. Of course, where the waterers are directly cemented to the pipe, the removal and replacement of the valve is a particularly time consuming task.
A principal object of this invention is to provide an animal waterer which may be assembled to and disassembled from a water pipe without the use of tools.
Another object of this invention is to provide an animal waterer which enables a very rapid assembly of waterers to water pipe, thereby providing for markedly reduced installation costs of a waterer system.
A further object of this invention is to provide an animal waterer configured to be snapped onto and off from is a water pipe, thereby facilitating the removal and replacement of waterers which may malfunction.
Another object of this invention is to provide an animal waterer configured for snap-on assembly to or disassembly from an associated water pipe, the waterer having the configuration of a nipple waterer or a cup waterer.
A still further object of this invention is to provide an animal waterer designed for snap-on assembly to or disassembly from an associated water pipe, configured as a nipple waterer, and including an attachable cup member for converting the nipple waterer to a cup waterer.
These objects are accomplished broadly in an animal waterer to be mounted on a cylindrical pipe. The waterer consists of a valve body which includes a base and interior and exterior aligned bosses projecting from that base in opposite directions. The valve body has a bore extending axially through the bosses and base, defining a valve chamber; and an annular cap member secured to the exterior boss at its distal end defines a valve seat. The valve closure member includes an enlarged head which is disposed within the valve chamber for engagement with the valve seat, and further includes an actuator step projecting axially from the head through the annular cap member to be operated by an animal. Spring means disposed in the valve chamber urge the closure head into sealing relation with the valve seat. At least two spring fingers project from the valve body base, generally parallel with the interior boss and on opposite sides thereof, these fingers having confronting means for engaging the cylindrical sides of the pipe to maintain the valve body in fixed relation thereto. The interior boss is configured to extend into the pipe through a hole in the pipe wall having a diameter slightly larger than the boss diameter. An annular sealing means is provided for sealing between the valve body base and the pipe. The fingers of the waterer are adapted to maintain the valve body in coupled relation with the pipe, with the sealing means providing effective sealing between the pipe and the valve body.
More particularly these objects are accomplished in such animal waterer which includes a diverging annular wall formed integrally with the valve body and extending axially in the direction of the exterior boss, the diverging wall defining a waterer cup with the actuator stem extending axially into the cup. Also these objects are accomplished more particularly in such animal waterer wherein the exterior face of the valve body base is configured to define a bayonet-type locking means for securing thereto selectively a cup member, and a cup member provided with a flat base having a central opening, and configured to define a bayonet-type locking means for coacting locking engagement with the bayonet-type locking means of the valve body, thereby selectively converting a nipple waterer to a cup waterer.
The novel features and the advantages of the invention, as well as additional objects thereof, will be understood more fully from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.